Cotton-press



October 22, 1913.

DR WING A careful search has been made this day for the original drawingor a photolithcgraphic copy of the same, for the purpose of reprcdccingthe said drawing to form a. part of this book, but at this time ncthingcan be found from which a. reproduction can be made.

Finis D. Morris,

Chief of Division E.

UNITED JEDEDIAH PRESCOTT, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

COTTON-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 3,815, dated November 9, 1844.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JEnnnIAi-r PRESCOTT, ofthe town of Memphis, in the county of Shelby and Stateof Tennessee, haveinven't' ed a new and useful Improvement in Presses for Pressing Cottonand other Substances, called The Samson Railroad Roller Cotton- Press,which is described as follows, reference being hadto the annexed.drawings of the same, making part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine in a position totie thebale, it having been pressed andthe doors opened. Fig. 2

is a vertical transverse section, showing the thelevers are made to liftthe ends of the box packer, ropes and Windlass.

Similar letters refer to corresponding Jarts. 1 The frame F' of thismachineis made different from others, and as it may bevaried in itsform, dimensions, proportions, and materials, to suit the views of theconstructor and to be properly adapted for containing and supporting theseveral parts to be arranged therein and as no claim will be made to itsconstruction, a more particular de scription need not be given.

The main improvements consist in the combination, and arrangement of theparts for pressing the cot-ton into a bale, the box for facilitating theoperation of forming the bale and having it tied and discharged, and theapparatus for tying the bale, and packing the cotton.

The follower or platen R for pressing the cotton upward against thepacker A, when secured in a permanent position, is attached by bolts orother suitable fastenings to the ends of two parallel levers standing inan inclined position, changeable in position as the platen rises andfalls, having their lower ends connected by bolts, or other suitablefastenings to a longitudinal horizontal carriage R placed upon theperipheries of parallel transverse rollers S which are arranged on thetop of a large horizontal permanent way T framed into the sills of theframe. A rope or chain a for drawing forward the carriage when thelevers are to be made to approximate to a vertical line, and the platenis to be raised, is made fast to the lower end of one of the levers,which is extended below the carriage, by one of its ends, while itsother end is carried over the pulley b and under the pulley 0, andaround the capstan W which is used for moving said carriage.

The ends (Z of the box for holding the cotton to bepressed are let intogrooves made 111 the upper surface of the platen, so that when the baleshall have been pressed said ends of the box can be raised from theplaten by means of two small levers Z, turning on horizontal axles, orfulcra let into the platen outside the box, the short ends of saidlevers being introduced into mort-ises or cavities, made in the ends ofthe box while the longer ends of the levers, as the platen rises, arecaused to strike against stops, projecting from theframe, and theelatencontinuing to rise, theshort ends of box from the grooves in theplaten, and by the elasticity of the cotton said ends are forced fromthe bale. In Fig. 1 these ends are represented in the grooves of theplaten. In Fig. 2, they are not represented.

The sides of the box lettered L turn on axles and are represented asthrown open in Fig. Ito allow of access to the bale to insert the ropes;and in 2 they are represented as closed, the space 6 between them beingthat in which the cotton is pressed. The sides of the box are heldfirmly, in the position required, during the operation of pressing, bymeans of two horizontal bars X, which extend along their outside, andrest on the frame, and are connected together, near their ends by twonotched bars w. hen the levers R are near a vertical position, andduring the ascent of the platen, the notched bars are disengaged fromthe bars X by means of a pin 79 projecting from each end piece, comingin contact with their under side and lifting them above said horizontalbars. The sides are then thrown open by the pressure of the cotton.

The packer A during the operation of pressing is keyed and held fast bythe bar it then corresponds with the common head block against which thecotton is pressed. In Fig. I it is represented as keyed fast byhorizontal bars Y. In Fig. 2 it is represented as unkeyed, and in aposition to be used as a packer, for packing the cotton downward intothe box preparatory to the operation of pressing it upward into a bale.

In order to adapt the head block to be used as a packer it must beconstructed differently from any other in use; it must be combined witha separate frame A which, when the made to move up and down in the mainframe F between guides D let into the frame F, being forced down by acord f whose lower end is made fast to the main frame, and. whoseopposite end is carried over the pulley B and down to the Windlass, andbeing again raised by means of a cord 9, which is attached to the lowerend of the packer and carried over a pulley c, and down to the WindlassJ. By drawing the cord f,rthe packer is forced down upon the cotton,previously thrown loosely in the box, by which the operation of trampingis the operator. The'bale is then discharged the sides and ends of thebox replaced the capstan liberated-when the weight of the platen and theinclined position of the levers, will cause the carriage to run backover the rollerswithout the application of any power. The object ofplacing the carriage to which the levers are attached upon theperipheries of large parallel rollers turning on a way or horizontalplane is to reduce the power required to elevate the levers and platen,by reducing the friction experienced inthe use of small wheels, orpulleys, turning on aXles in the ends of levers, as in other machines,and also in simplifying and cheapening the construction of the machineryand rendering it more easy to be put in order, when out of order fromany cause.

What I claim as my invention and which I desire to secure by LettersPatent is 1. The combination of the inclined parallel levers R R withthe horizonal carriage R and rollers S arranged and operated in themanner and for the purpose above set forth.

2. The arrangement of the ends d of the box in grooves in the platen, soas to rise and fall with the platen, and be liberated from it at thetermination of the pressing.

3. The combination of the levers Z, with the'platen, arranged, andoperated in the manner, and 'for the purpose above set forth.

4. The manner of disengaging the bars from the box, by means of the pins79, upon the ascending ends of the box, in order to throw open the sidesof the boX, to tie and remove the bale.

JEDEDIAH PRESCOTT.

lVitnesses:

EDWIN MAHER, J HN. SMITH HANNA.

